Trump Threatens to Unearth Iran's Buried Uranium; Tehran Stays Silent
Trump signals force to seize Iran's buried enriched uranium; Tehran offers no response.
President Donald Trump said the United States will work with Iran to “dig up and remove” enriched uranium buried under the rubble of Iranian nuclear facilities hit by air strikes last year — a claim that Iran has not officially confirmed. Trump framed this as part of a cooperative approach following a recently announced ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
In a separate statement, Trump asserted there will be no further uranium enrichment in Iran, and that the U.S. and Iran could collaborate on removing deeply buried nuclear material, referring to it as “nuclear dust” left from past strikes. Tehran has remained silent on this specific proposal, and no official Iranian confirmation of cooperation on uranium removal has been issued.
Trump also characterized recent developments as reflecting a significant shift in Iran’s internal dynamics, even suggesting that a “productive regime change” has taken place — language that Iran has not echoed, and which adds uncertainty between the two governments on how to interpret the ceasefire terms.
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Although U.S. officials describe removing buried enriched uranium as a technical priority, international experts and observers caution that locating and excavating such material would be extremely complex and resource‑intensive, given nuclear sites’ deep underground structures — and that independent verification remains limited.
The broader context is a fragile two‑week ceasefire agreement that aims to pause hostilities, reopen the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz, and lay groundwork for future negotiations. Trump’s comments about nuclear material and enrichment reflect part of the U.S. narrative on limiting Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but with clear differences emerging between U.S. public statements and Tehran’s official confirmations.
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